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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

So I have now been using linux for about three years, and recently moved to Slackware, which after trying many, seems to suit me. I am still very mediocre, and the learning has been very slow.

A key realisation I had was that you can practically do anything with Linux and related software, once you have the appropriately structured knowledge. That's both good and bad, and furthermore is a sure indicator of very time consuming activity. And that it is.

I lasted quite a while in Windows only use mode. As everybody know getting the Operating System software installed for you or not is the key. It's like always having a chauffeur take you around a big city, you don't learn a thing about how to get around yourself. You don't learn street names or anything. One day, you're on your own and you realised you've learnt very little.

So the truth is a friend installed Red Hat v.7.2 on my computer, and I didn't learn to much. I knew how to...

I really wasn't so unhappy with Windows in the early days. This was mainly due to the fairly normal worktasks I had to do. Because of that, I really wasn't interested in exploring much behind the scenes. The watershed year was 1994/5. Three things happened.

1) Windows 95 came out. It was a victory for the growing marketing tribe at Microsoft. DOS was relegated. Fundamentally, things changed. The word Eye Candy had to be invented, to separate useful computing from computing to promote...

Finally I got my own computer, which is when finally I took a proper interest, and it ran MS DOS 3.3. I had got somw Windows diskettes but they really slowed the thing down. I have to say I was quite happy with the programs I had, mainly because my usage was pretty much office work and Lotus 1-2-3 and Wordperfect were definitely fast and easy to use. I don't think things have improved that much since then for office workers. We struggle to keep the same level of task-based productivity.
I...